


Danganronpa 2: After the Games (Nagito Komaeda no Mirai)

by DR_FC



Category: Danganronpa, Danganronpa 2
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:09:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28221441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DR_FC/pseuds/DR_FC
Summary: After the Killing Games, the survivors have taken up residence in a dormitory building provided for by the government. Thanks to COVID (and potential trauma), the majority of students have decided to take online courses instead of getting involved in an in-person school system.However, there is still a lot of unresolved conflict. There are still many who are haunted by the past, with nobody to guide them through the future.This written work is the first part of its kind, following the growing friendship between Nagito Komaeda (The Ultimate Lucky Student) and Mahiru Koizumi (The Ultimate Photographer).[THIS IS NOT A ROMANTIC WRITTEN WORK: THE MAIN FOCUS IS NOT A ROMANTIC ONE]
Kudos: 1





	1. Broken Friendship (Flashback)

[(OST 1)](https://soundcloud.com/yeetsicle/conflictdr2)

“I don’t want to ever hear you speak again, Mahiru! You’re not my sister, stop trying to be one!”  
Her voice echoed in my mind, over and over. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t hear anything but those words. She turned away, her back facing me, her arms folded. “I’m tired of you acting all goody-goody,” she continued, not missing a beat. “You’re not going to ‘convert’ me, or whatever. I don’t want to be like you, I want to be me. So, get out of my life! Scoot!”  
I stumbled back, unaware of the many pairs of watchful eyes in the living room I was currently occupying. “What did I do?” I mumbled, bewildered and afraid. “You never would talk like this to me, what happened?”  
But she didn’t reply. Instead, she waved a hand dismissively, implying that she no longer had any use for me, and wanted me out. I shook my head in disbelief, not letting myself give in to despair. “You’re being unreasonable!” I yelled, abandoning any idea of resolving this peacefully. She turned around, her eyes full of disgust.  
“Do I have to speak twice, _carrots?_ ” She said, narrowing her eyes. “Get out of here! I don’t want you.”  
Tears began to cloud my vision; any hope of our future relationship dissolved slowly before me. I turned away and walked downstairs, trying not to run. Nobody else could know how much this hurt.  
When I was sure no-one was nearby, I ran down to the basement’s living room, tripping over myself and bumping into walls while tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t stop sobbing. Had I really cared this much? Maybe I had hoped for something beyond reality. I had hoped Hiyoko would respect me, and that she would come to learn kindness and respect for others too. That we could build a friendship together, that I could be… like a sister.  
Even thinking the words sent another flood of tears that I couldn’t seem to stop; my body was shaking with sobs; my chest hurt so badly that I could hardly breathe.  
_“I need to get over myself!”_ I thought desperately. _“I can’t let this get me down! There’s still hope, it’s not like she’ll ignore me, I can still- “  
_The thought was interrupted by the harsh memory of what she had said only minutes ago: _“Get out of my life! I don’t want you!”  
_Everything went black; I fell to my knees, blind in the darkness of the basement. My thoughts sped across my mind in a blur, swiftly becoming more empty, more hopeless. “What if she never speaks to me again?” I heard myself saying as if my thoughts were controlling my broken voice and not me.  
“What will I do?” The words spilled out against my will, running as fast as the tears ran from my eyes like a twisted sort of race. “What if I can’t make any new friends? What if I’m just a failure, who can’t talk to anyone, can’t hold up a relationship, can’t take care of anyone, will never have _any_ use to _anybody-_ “  
  
[(OST 2)](https://soundcloud.com/yeetsicle/safe-in-your-arms)  
Then, there was a soft rustle of fabric. I felt something fluffy and comfortable wrap around me, snug and secure. _“A blanket…?”_ I thought, in a daze. Something (or somebody) pulled me close, hugging me tightly as if that could annihilate all the awful feelings that battled inside me. I found myself relaxing into the warm embrace, letting go of all the painful tension that had wound itself into a knot in my chest. “Are you alright?” a familiar voice asked quietly, full of concern. “Is there anything I can do to help?”  
For a moment, I was surprised. I recognized him; it was Nagito. At first glance, he hadn’t struck me as the “seek-and-comfort” type. But yet, here he was.  
I shook my head slightly; I couldn’t think of anything. He hummed and shifted position slightly, probably so he could sit more comfortably. “I know what it’s like to hear words like that,” he said thoughtfully. “Probably not to the same degree, as I’ve never had a close friend like you’ve had Hiyoko, but it’s still quite painful.”  
His calm mannerism was contagious. My thoughts seemed to slowly clear as I listened to him speak. “I hope there’s a way to fix things up with her,” Nagito continued. “I’m sure this is just a phase that she’ll work through, and things will be alright someday.”  
_“Someday,”_ I noted in my mind. _“Not ‘eventually’, as Hajime might say, but ‘someday.’ He’s certain of this.”  
_“How can you be so sure?” I asked softly, surprised to find that my voice worked well despite sobbing so much earlier.  
Nagito looked down at me with a quiet, knowing smile, as if he was in on some special secret or inside joke with the universe. “She cares about you greatly; people don’t just give up like that. She’s obviously hiding something, didn’t you notice?”  
The rebuke was strangely gentle and without accusation, despite his somewhat harsh wording. I smiled, reassured but also slightly alarmed by how precise and observant he was. _“I suppose he’s always been like that,”_ I thought. _“Ever since that awful Killing Game, he’s been improving at an incredible rate when it comes to reading people.”  
_  
It was silent after he had spoken. Upstairs, there were distant footsteps as the dormitory’s residents headed to bed. I realized it was probably a lot later than it felt like it was. After all, it was hard to measure time when there wasn’t a window or a clock nearby.  
In the stillness of the night, I heard another sound: a quiet and unsteady, pulsating rhythm. _“A heartbeat,”_ I thought, in a moment of recognition. I almost wondered if it was my own. But it wasn’t, it couldn’t be. It was too weak, too irregular.  
_“It must be his.”  
_It had been ages since I had heard someone else’s heartbeat. The sound was a reminder that I was close to him, not pushed away or dismissed. That I was safe, protected, listened to.  
I started to doze off while I sat, exhausted from the emotions of tonight. Nagito didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.  
A vague memory from goodness knows how long ago resurfaced: an unknown figure holding me close, but not like this. Back then, it had seemed hesitant, unsure. In this case, there was no hesitance. Just confidence, and comfort.  
  
 _~End_


	2. A Walk (Present-time)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's late in the evening, and Mahiru is out taking photos in an abandoned nature trail. As it gets darker out, she realizes how unsafe it is to be alone, and fear starts to creep in.

It was freezing cold outside; a temperature I’m not usually good with. In retrospect, I should have brought a blanket, or gloves, maybe even a warmer coat, but it was too late now. Now, I was already halfway down the trail, and it was late. The sun had just set beyond the horizon, and the last glimpses of the day’s light had disappeared from the side of the small valley I was currently standing in.  
I say small; in truth, it was quite large and very steep. If I made one mistake on this narrow trail, I’d plummet to my inevitable death, unless my luck got in the way.  
I searched my bag for a flashlight, then remembered that I had never once owned one. How odd, I should probably get one of those. “I suppose I’ll have to travel in the shadows, then,” I said aloud to nobody in particular. As I had hoped, I was alone.  
But not for long.  
In the distance, I noticed a small silhouette. It stood alone, facing away from me, holding a strange object. Potentially a gun, or a grenade. Or a very sizeable pinecone. Just in case, I picked up a small stick from the ground before approaching the silhouette.  
“Hello?” I called, hoping that I sounded peaceable and unthreatening. The silhouette turned around swiftly, and I was nearly blinded by a flash. Not a good sign. Then, they spoke: “Oh, it’s just you.”  
A much better sign! If they were familiar and didn’t care for me, that meant they must know me well. I smiled. “Hello, again!”  
They walked up to me. I heard their footsteps but couldn’t quite see them yet. That was a powerful flash, maybe it had been a grenade after all.  
“I have a request, Nagito,” she said. I tilted my head, interested.  
“What might that be?” I replied.  
Her voice took on an almost awkward tone. “It’s not safe in the dark for people like me, and it’s a long way to the bus stop from here…” she trailed off, I could almost see her looking sideways as if she couldn’t meet my eyes.  
I didn’t mind. “By people like you, you must mean minors.”  
She seemed a bit surprised by the response; I could see her nod (my vision was returning). “If it wouldn’t be too much, could you stick around with me until I’m done taking some last-minute photos?”  
“And all the way to the bus stop, too,” I added, crossing my arms. “My luck isn’t the best, so that is a risk, but it’s better than looking for trouble.”  
I must have surprised her again because this time, she smiled. “That’d be great, thank you.”  
  
She walked off in a vague direction, probably following an unseen trail. I still couldn’t see quite well from the flash, so I followed her instead of trusting the little I could see of the ground. I deduced that this must be Mahiru, the Ultimate Photographer. Nobody else I knew would be out this late in this location, save maybe Gundam or Hajime. Mahiru was definitely not either of the two, as she was definitely female and definitely much smarter than both of them. No offence to Hajime, of course.  
Eventually, we reached a bend in the trail. It seemed like the left path dropped abruptly, whereas the second path looped back to where I had come from. Mahiru tapped my shoulder to get my attention. “We’re taking the left path,” she said, still smiling a little. “It probably looks like a bottomless pit to you thanks to my camera flash, but there’s a path. I promise.”  
“A camera flash?” I asked, quite amused. “Genius. You hardly need me around to keep you safe when you have that.” I tried not to focus on the split-second moment of contact. It meant nothing other than a means to communicate something, no need to obsess over it.  
“I feel like you’re smiling about a bit more than just my genius,” Mahiru said, suspicion creeping into her tone. Oops. I shrugged and smiled a little brighter: the universal inter-human gesture I use to imply that I don’t understand myself either. She huffed and turned, walking down the left trail of doom. I decided to trust her, so I followed carefully. I would have watched my footing, but I still couldn’t see that well. For a brief moment, I considered the fact that Mahiru may very well be nocturnal and would be able to see well in the dark thanks to it. This couldn’t be the case, though, as she typically went to bed at the same time as everyone else.  
  
We walked in silence for what _felt_ like a few minutes (but was actually around an hour). Time flew when you were enjoying the silence. When we reached the road, she stopped abruptly. I nearly ran into her; she was a lot smaller than I had thought.  
“It’s only a few minutes from the grocery store, and then it’s another few to the bus stop,” she said, crossing her arms, thinking. I hummed, also thinking.  
“But what would you need the grocery store for?” I asked, half hoping she might mention food. I had exactly three dollars and no intention of being wise with it. Mahiru looked up at me, almost hesitant. “Would you mind if we stopped there to grab a snack for when we’re home? The bus doesn’t allow open food, so we’ll have to wait to eat it until we’re back.”  
I celebrated internally. _Finally!!_ A chance to annihilate my collection of dimes and nickels! “I wouldn’t mind,” I replied graciously.  
Without much thought or hesitation, she grabbed my hand and set off determinedly in the direction of the store. “Come on, then,” she said cheerfully, “the next bus is in fifteen minutes, we have very little time, so you’ll need to hurry up!” It was next to impossible to focus, so I did as she suggested.  
  
I’m not sure if I’m the only one who feels this way, but whenever somebody holds my hand or so much as bumps their shoulder into me, I lose focus. It becomes almost impossible to think about anything other than the present moment and the presence of whoever has the unfortunate privilege of being near me. The fact that someone would be close to me or even _want_ to (a nearly foreign concept at this point) means an entire universe to me, and that is painfully obvious. And it’s ridiculous, too; logically speaking, it makes no sense. Yet, here I am, and here she was.  
She didn’t let go, so I could eventually concentrate and accept the fact that no, I wasn’t hallucinating, and no, I wasn’t dreaming either. Earth to Nagito, and Nagito to Earth. (I should look into becoming an astronaut if this keeps happening.)  
  
Before I knew it, we were inside of the grocery store; I had put on my mask (as is the regulation before entering a store) and so had Mahiru. We were in and out of the building before you could say “snacks,” and shortly after, we reached the bus stop.  
  
I sat down on the bench, realizing how exhausted I was from the journey.  
“You alright?” Mahiru asked, concern creeping into her voice _just_ a little. I nodded. “I’m not built for long walks,” I explained, laughing a little once the oxygen had returned to my lungs. “With the Lymphoma and who knows what other things, I’m not quite strong enough to build up much stamina.” I looked over at her to make sure I hadn’t alarmed her yet further by telling her the truth.  
Turns out I had; she seemed much more concerned than before. “You should really get that treated,” she said worriedly. I shook my head.  
“It’s stage three malignant,” I replied, unconcerned. It was almost habitual, that response. “Unless something incredibly fortunate happens, there’s hardly any chance of a cure without a lot of stress or potential opportunities for my luck to kill me off once and for all. If I go to a hospital, there’s a high chance that something horrible or death-inducing could happen to everyone there, such as a- “  
I froze, my mind temporarily shutting down, a strange and alarming emotion seeming to grab my heart so tightly it threatened to crush it. I heard a distant mechanical hum, an engine of sorts, probably. It reverberated throughout the sky as it passed overhead, seeming to increase the awful emotion’s intensity as the volume swelled to a peak. I hurriedly concentrated on everything _but_ what I had been about to say and what I could hear. My mind raced to forget whatever that something had been. I shouldn’t ever remember what that something was. If I did, it’d be very bad.  
Mahiru’s hair was an incredibly neat shade of red. The streetlights above us were a warm contrast to the pitch-black sky above. The ground was a unique colour; something like grey, but with splashes of light brown here and there, like an iced coffee. An iced coffee sounded good right about now, even though I was freezing to death.  
Freezing to death, hmm… I _was_ quite cold, I should have brought a coat or mittens… Hold on, what had I talking about? Mahiru was looking at me strangely.  
I looked back at her for clarification; maybe she knew. “What was I saying?” I asked, hoping she would remember.  
She paused, considering what to say. “You were talking about your health situation. You said there wasn’t much of a chance, and it wasn’t a good idea to go to the hospital to get it treated.”  
I nodded, the memory of the conversation returning a little. “Exactly. But I’m good at defying chances, so I’m sure I won’t die!”  
The bus pulled up to the stop in front of us, and both of us stood abruptly, searching for our tickets. What coincidental timing.  
We found our tickets, then boarded the bus together. I hadn’t planned on joining her, but it felt important now. There was a chance of a new friend, and I wanted to take that chance if I could.  
  
The bus ride was strangely uneventful, which seemed suspicious to me. Maybe my luck was making an exception. Mahiru seemed tired, but I knew better. It was a façade; she didn’t want conversation at the moment, so she acted as if she was too tired to be able to find interest in talking. We both sat quietly in the back of the bus, waiting until it would reach our stop. By the looks of it, she was deep in thought about something, maybe about what I had said earlier.  
She still hadn’t let go of my hand, for some unknown reason. I wasn’t going to complain, but it _was_ quite strange. It didn’t make any sense; I hadn’t done anything particularly outstanding to deserve such a kind gesture…  
So why?  
  
  
_~End_  
  



	3. A Fading Future (Present-time)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now in the present time, Hiyoko Saionji has decided that she no longer needs Mahiru in her life. Nagito observes the situation with disappointment and finds himself to be the only one motivated to fix up their friendship.

“I don’t want to ever hear you speak again, Mahiru! You’re not my sister, stop trying to be one!”  
Hiyoko’s sharp words pierced the air, and I flinched. They weren’t directed toward me, but they still stung. Mahiru stood there, looking at Hiyoko blankly. Hiyoko turned away, folding her arms defiantly. “I’m tired of you acting all goody-goody,” she continued, not missing a beat. “You’re not going to ‘convert’ me, or whatever. I don’t want to be like you, I want to be like me! So, get out of my life! Scoot!”  
I tensed, hoping she’d take back the words or show some kind of hesitance. She didn’t. Mahiru stumbled back, obviously hurt by Hiyoko’s words.  
“What did I do…” she trailed off, looking to the side a little in disbelief. Hiyoko waved a hand dismissively and walked off to her bedroom. Suddenly, Mahiru stood straight and looked directly at Hiyoko. She shook her head. “You’re being unreasonable!” She yelled, her emotions threatening to break her voice. Hiyoko turned around, and I looked away; her eyes were full of disgust. “Do I have to speak twice, _carrots?_ ” She said spitefully. “Get out of here! I don’t want you.” I looked over at Mahiru. _“Don’t give up,”_ I thought, as if the thought alone might encourage her.  
She slumped, once again frozen in place, tears starting to flow from her eyes. I could see her trembling, hugging herself, alone, while everyone else simply observed. Hajime wasn’t here; he would have rushed over right away, resolved everything, and put things back together again in moments if he were. But he wasn’t. Mahiru turned slowly, then walked downstairs. Once she turned the corner, I heard a “thump” of her probably running into something, and her footsteps sped up as she ran down to the basement.  
I looked around at the other Ultimates; all prodigious students, supposedly skilled and intelligent. Yet they sat and stared in shock, doing nothing. I shook my head in disappointment, then picked up a throw from the couch. I took off my jacket and placed it on the couch (so nobody would steal my spot), then walked down to the basement with the throw.  
When I reached the basement, what I saw was nearly heartbreaking; Mahiru, usually so confident and warm, was huddled in the corner of the room, sobbing. Broken. “What will I do?” she mumbled. I stepped back, startled. Had she noticed me? Should I leave her be?  
“What if I can’t make any new friends?” She continued, becoming more panicked, more afraid, more desperate. “What if I’m just a failure, who can’t talk to anyone, can’t hold up a relationship, can’t take care of anyone, will never have _any_ use to _anybody-_ “  
I rushed over and sat beside her, wrapping the throw around her tightly. Instinctively, I hugged her close hoping that somehow, something I could do could make her feel a little more okay. I could hardly stand to see her in such a miserable state, talking down to herself like that. It wasn’t right.  
“Are you alright?” I asked, trying not to tear up. It was a losing battle, and I felt hot tears start to run down my face. “Is there anything I can do to help…?”  
Mahiru paused, still trembling. Then, she relaxed, almost dissolving in my arms. She shook her head slightly: no. I hummed, relieved, and shifted my position to something more comfortable in case I would be here for a while. “I know what it’s like to hear words like that,” I said, recalling an incident with Hajime a while back. I fought to keep my voice calm; she needed someone to support her, not to break down. “Probably not to the same degree, as I’ve never had a close friend like you’ve had Hiyoko, but it’s still quite painful.” I held her a little closer as if the little bit of warmth I had could possibly help her feel safe. “I hope there’s a way to fix things up with her. I’m sure this is just a phase that she’ll work through, and things will be alright someday.”  
It was an awkward sentence, but hopefully it got the message across. After a minute, she spoke.  
“How can you be so sure?” Mahiru asked softly.  
I smiled and looked down at her, pleased that I finally had a confident reply. “She cares about you greatly; people don’t just give up like that. She’s obviously hiding something, didn’t you notice?”  
That seemed to help to some degree; she fell silent after that, so I didn’t bother breaking the quiet with any more words. She probably needed time to process her thoughts. Her breathing slowly became steadier, and she leaned against me for support as she drifted off. _“She must be exhausted,”_ I thought, still concerned. I shifted to lean against a wall so my back wouldn’t decide to murder me (and so Mahiru would have more space to get comfortable). She didn’t move much; she only shifted a little before falling asleep.  
I realized that this could very well be the first time I had ever done something of this calibre. I hoped I did alright; I must have done _something_ well if she had fallen asleep. I eventually let myself relax, too; the danger had passed, everything would be okay, and everything would be sorted out in the morning.  
Right?  
  
_~End_


End file.
